Stay(118)

I was laid down on a gurney. I tried to sit up. The same firefighter who rescued me gently put her hands on my shoulders. “Stay,” she said. “You were in a bad car accident,” she reminded me as if I didn’t remember.

“No,” I protested and continued to fight against her. I looked up with a desperate fear in search of the black Camaro. Still down in the ditch, I wouldn’t have been able to see the road even if the emergency vehicles weren’t in the way. “Jackson,” I mumbled. An EMT buckled a strap across my legs. “No!” I shouted. “Jackson!”

“He’s okay,” the EMT told me. “We’re taking you both to the hospital.”

“You …” I started and felt the dizziness sink its claws into me. “You don’t understand.”

The EMT put an oxygen mask over my face. I swatted it away.

“I might need some help over here!” he called and picked up the mask.#p#分页标题#e#

“No!” I mumbled again. “My name … my name is …” My eyes were pulled closed. Someone put my hands at my sides and buckled another strap around my chest. “Ad…e…line,” I panted. “M-mill. Miller,” I forced out.

It took an enormous amount of energy to turn my head. I opened my eyes briefly, but it was just enough to see Jackson being wheeled into an ambulance. Emergency workers surrounded him. One was pumping air into him, and another had hands on his chest. I wasn’t sure if they were doing CPR or putting pressure on the bullet wound. My ears rang, and I felt the familiar feeling of my mind wanting to check out, unable to deal with what was happening.

“Adeline Miller?” someone questioned. Hearing my name jolted me to life. I tipped my head back and saw a police officer jogging over. “Did you say your name is Adeline Miller?”

“Yes,” I said and strained against the safety straps. “My family. They said they’d go after my family.”

The officer turned and said something into his radio. The EMTs pushed me forward and loaded me into a different ambulance than the one Jackson was in. The cop got in, staying in the back while the EMTs set to work on mending me.

“No,” I said when one of them tore open a plastic case and held up a needle. My hands moved over my abdomen. “Don’t hurt my … my …baby.” Saying the word brought on all of the night’s emotion.

“It’s just for an IV, honey,” the EMT spoke. Her auburn hair was pulled back in a messy bun and her brown eyes were kind. She picked up my hand, giving it a squeeze before extending my arm. “How far along are you?” she asked, wiped my skin with alcohol, and pressed at the skin inside my elbow, feeling for a vein.

“I don’t know,” I said. “Jackson,” I mumbled. “I need to go to him.”

“He’s already on his way to the hospital,” she soothed and unwrapped a needle. “You’re gonna feel a little poke,” she warned me.

The ambulance doors shut. I let my eyes close. Tears ran down the side of my face.

“Adeline,” the cop said.

My teeth chattered as I tried to keep from crying. “Yeah.”

“You’re really Adeline Miller.”

“Yes.”

“You’ve been missing for over a year.” My eyes opened. Had it been that long? “Are you able to tell me what happened?”

A chill made its way down my body. The memory of that day was still vivid. I could feel the sunlight on my skin. I remembered how excited I was when I checked my email and saw one of my favorite authors had sent me an advanced copy of her book.

“We were at the Gay Pride Parade.”

“Yes, we know that,” he said gently.

“I saw him.” I stopped and swallowed hard. “I saw him doing something I wasn’t supposed to see. So he took me.”

“Who did you see, Adeline? Who took you?”

“Where’s Jackson?” I asked and tried to sit up. “I need to find him.”

“Who’s Jackson?” the cop asked. “They guy who took you?”

“No.” The EMT leaned over. “He’s the guy who was in the car with her.” She patted my hand. “Honey, your friend is on his way to the hospital. He’ll be taken care of there. You can see him in just a little bit, okay?”

I blinked back tears and nodded.

“Adeline,” the cop pressed. “Who took you?”

I didn’t want to say his name. He was evil, and I worried that speaking his name would summon him like a demon. I closed my eyes again. “Zane. I don’t know his last name.” I shook my head.#p#分页标题#e#